What’s She Thinking? How to Use Inner Dialogue…

August 25, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: What are Word Classes?

≪ Previous: DELETE ME: What is a Cliché Anyway? And Why Should You Avoid Them?

$

0

0

Inner dialogue. Internal thought. Interior monologue. Internal speech. Whatever you call it, this internal thought process is as important as regular dialogue, character arc, and narrative arc in helping your reader understand your main character at an intimate level. It also serves to move your story forward and keep your readers deeply connected.

Unlike the one- or two-dimensional characters you see in movies and on television, when using inner dialogue in your narrative, it helps you present a much more nuanced and three-dimensional character. And since most stories are character driven, you really need to add that inner dialogue in.

---

What are Word Classes?

August 30, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Write What You Know? Think Bigger

≪ Previous: What’s She Thinking? How to Use Inner Dialogue…

$

0

0

Word classes are parts of speech. They’re the building blocks that form every sentence ever uttered. They are categorized by the role they play in your sentences.

Everyone agrees on the following four main word classes: 1. Noun 2. Verb 3. Adjective 4. Adverb

There are varying opinions as to whether the following five categories are word classes or word forms. So we went straight to the experts: the Oxford and Cambridge Dictionaries. Per these two highly learned sources, the following are considered word classes also:

1. Pronoun (e.g. I, you, me, we, mine, someone, he, she)
2. Preposition (e.g. at, in, on, across, behind, for)

Write What You Know? Think Bigger

September 6, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Triumphing at NaNoWriMo: How to Be Your Most Productive

≪ Previous: What are Word Classes?

$

0

0

When I decided I wanted to be a writer, the idea of “Write what you know” made me feel like a whole realm of literary possibility was off-limits to me. And yet, my own breadth of experience felt too small to contain a great story. I began to worry that my lack of experiences in life meant that I had nothing important to say. Seriously, who wants to read about my boring life?

I wish someone had explained that the concept of “Write what you know” is much bigger and more nuanced than that.

Triumphing at NaNoWriMo: How to Be Your Most Productive

September 19, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Six Tried and Tested Methods for Writing a Novel

≪ Previous: Write What You Know? Think Bigger

$

0

0

Write first. Proofread in December.

It’s all about getting the words down on the page (or the computer screen). We published an article a couple of months ago about ilys, an online platform that only allows you to see the last letter you typed on the screen. You can’t go back and edit—you can only keep typing until you’ve hit your word goal for the day. While this platform may take the “just write, don’t edit” rule further than many writers are comfortable with, the idea remains the same whether you are writing in word, Scrivener or with a quill and ink. Just write.

Six Tried and Tested Methods for Writing a Novel

September 19, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: What's the Difference Between Narrative and Exposition?

≪ Previous: Triumphing at NaNoWriMo: How to Be Your Most Productive

$

0

0

In this post, Kathy Edens introduces us to six of the most popular novel-writing methods out there: 1) The Snowflake Method, 2) The 30-Day Method, 3) The 5-Step Method, 4) The Write From The Middle Method, 5) The 5-Draft Method, 6) The Novel Factory Methods. The best method is the one that speaks to you. It’s the one that you’ll commit to and use to start writing your novel. But more importantly, it’s the one that will help see you through to the end.

Only you can decide what’s the best method for you because every writer is different with different needs and motivations. Choose what works best for you. Or experiment with different methods to find the one that helps you be your most productive ever.

What's the Difference Between Narrative and Exposition?

September 13, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Future Perfect? Past Continuous? What are All the Verb Tenses?

≪ Previous: Six Tried and Tested Methods for Writing a Novel

$

0

0

Sometimes, narrative and exposition are used synonymously to explain parts of a novel that “narrate” information for the reader. They are, in fact, different devices used to give the reader information. Used appropriately, narrative and exposition affect the pacing of your story.

Future Perfect? Past Continuous? What are All the Verb Tenses?

September 13, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Four Writing Myths and Why They Suck the Ink out of Writers

≪ Previous: What's the Difference Between Narrative and Exposition?

$

0

0

Much like the specters Scrooge faced in A Christmas Carol, writers face 3 different verb tenses when constructing sentences: Past, Present, and Future.

Just like the Ghost of Christmas Past, a past tense verb refers to something that has already happened. The most commonly used verb tense is present, which talks about what’s going on right at this very moment. And the final, future tense tells us what might or will happen in the future. But that's not where it ends. There are three additional ways to talk about past, present, and future tense verbs: Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous. Sometimes referred to as aspects rather than tenses, these tell us about an action that happens once or repeatedly and if it’s completed or still continuing

Four Writing Myths and Why They Suck the Ink out of Writers

September 19, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: The 10 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes

≪ Previous: Future Perfect? Past Continuous? What are All the Verb Tenses?

$

0

0

Writing myths have been around as long as we’ve been writing—“real writers don’t get writer’s block”, “the tools maketh the story”, “writing is solitary”, and on and on—and they’re so common we often simply accept them as truth. But just how much weight do they really carry?

These are four of the most common writing myths. From tools to time to mindset, you might be surprised to find there’s less truth to them than you thought.

---

The 10 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes

September 19, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Hyphen, En Dash & Em Dash: Do You Know the Difference?

≪ Previous: Four Writing Myths and Why They Suck the Ink out of Writers

$

0

0

Danny Mancini is part of the team at Penguin Random House The Writers’ Academy. They excel at helping aspiring writers to hone their craft and sharpen up their writing technique. Whether you've been writing fiction for a long time or are completely new to the process, there are a number of common writing mistakes that all authors should be wary of.

So if you're struggling from a case of writer's block, or wondering what's blocking you on the path to publication, read on below to ensure that you're not making any of these fatal writing errors...

Hyphen, En Dash & Em Dash: Do You Know the Difference?

September 27, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: New E-book: The Novel-Writing Training Plan

≪ Previous: The 10 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes

$

0

0

Are you aware of these three little lines and how they’re used in punctuation?

-Hyphen

⎻En Dash

—Em Dash

Let’s talk a little more about each.

New E-book: The Novel-Writing Training Plan

October 2, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Top Resources for Writers to Boost Creativity

≪ Previous: Hyphen, En Dash & Em Dash: Do You Know the Difference?

$

0

0

So you are ready to write your novel. Excellent. Are you prepared? The last thing you want when you sit down to write your first draft is to lose momentum. Have you figured out the key traits of your characters so that you know how they will act (and react) in each scene? Have you thought through the climax of your narrative so that you can lay all the groundwork to get there? Have you researched the setting of your story so you can make it feel authentic?

Use this guide before you start writing to work out your narrative arc, plan out your key plot points, flesh out your characters, and begin to build your world. Then, when you begin your writing journey, you will have a map to follow along the way.

Top Resources for Writers to Boost Creativity

October 4, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Infographic: 13 Grammar Mistakes Beautiful People Don't Make

≪ Previous: New E-book: The Novel-Writing Training Plan

$

0

0

Writing narrative essays, short stories and other creative texts is a meandering path. Creative writing skills do not appear out of nowhere, they require determination and effort. To master them, you need to work not only hard, but also smart.

Creativity is a tricky business. Your notebook is a great place to apply your inspiration, test your skills and boost your energy – or to fail. And this is how you evolve. Failures and mistakes provide valuable lessons. However, to progress faster and to make your creative juices flow better, we have collected some practical and useful resources that will improve your skills. Let’s get started.

Infographic: 13 Grammar Mistakes Beautiful People Don't Make

October 6, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: How to Seamlessly Shift Between POV Characters

≪ Previous: Top Resources for Writers to Boost Creativity

$

0

0

With social media and messaging apps being used daily, grammar and writing skills have taken a back seat.

These errors are transferring into resumes, emails, articles and anything you could possibly imagine. However,considering that what you write is a direct reflection on you, you do not want to come across as lazy, unintelligent or even worse, unattractive.

The question is: How can you avoid making grammar mistakes that you don’t know you’re making in the first place?

How to Seamlessly Shift Between POV Characters

October 6, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: 4 Important Ways to Get Ready for NaNoWriMo

≪ Previous: Infographic: 13 Grammar Mistakes Beautiful People Don't Make

$

0

0

Very occasionally some exceptional writers can get away with shifting Point of View (POV) between two characters within the same sentence. Most of us, however, should avoid this kind of head-hopping.

Where Faulkner and Joyce are masters at POV shifting (and they make it seem so effortless), here are a few rules the rest of us should follow when shifting between characters.

4 Important Ways to Get Ready for NaNoWriMo

October 24, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: How to Punctuate and Format Inner Dialogue

≪ Previous: How to Seamlessly Shift Between POV Characters

$

0

0

Are you ready for NaNoWriMo?

It’s the question most asked this time of year, right before National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) that takes over the month of November every year.

If this is your first time doing NaNoWriMo, don’t stress out too much about it. It’s a huge learning process where you’ll discover what’s most important for you to be able to produce content on a continual basis to move forward towards your end goal of 50,000 words in 30 days.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned over the years is that it’s not so much about the end result. What you have at the end of 30 days will in no shape or form be a novel ready to print. Depending on your genre, novels can be 80,000 words and up. Just understand: you won’t be finished with it on November 30th.

---

How to Punctuate and Format Inner Dialogue

October 6, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Triumphing at NaNoWriMo: 4 Important Ways to Get Ready for NaNoWriMo

≪ Previous: 4 Important Ways to Get Ready for NaNoWriMo

$

0

0

Inner dialogue is an excellent way to give your readers a peek inside the heart and mind of your characters. Readers can’t get this depth of character strictly from the actions you include in your story. You should give them inner thoughts to create 3-D characters with which your readers will fall in love.

The bad news is that there is no hard and fast rule about formatting inner dialogue. Depending on which author, editor, or publisher you talk to, there are as many ways to handle inner dialogue as there are people writing it.

Triumphing at NaNoWriMo: 4 Important Ways to Get Ready for NaNoWriMo

October 6, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: When to Underline & When to Use Italics

≪ Previous: How to Punctuate and Format Inner Dialogue

$

0

0

f this is your first time doing NaNoWriMo, don’t stress out too much about it. It’s a huge learning process where you’ll discover what’s most important for you to be able to produce content on a continual basis to move forward towards your end goal of 50,000 words in 30 days.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned over the years is that it’s not so much about the end result. What you have at the end of 30 days will in no shape or form be a novel ready to print. Depending on your genre, novels can be 80,000 words and up. Just understand: you won’t be finished with it on November 30th.

When to Underline & When to Use Italics

October 11, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Can Distractions Actually Boost a Writer's Productivity?

≪ Previous: Triumphing at NaNoWriMo: 4 Important Ways to Get Ready for NaNoWriMo

$

0

0

To italicize or underline. That is the question. How do you handle the titles of magazines, books, newspapers, academic journals, films, television shows, long poems, plays, operas, works of art like paintings and sculptures, music albums, etc.?

Can Distractions Actually Boost a Writer's Productivity?

October 11, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Want to be a beta tester for ProWritingAid’s new online editor?

≪ Previous: When to Underline & When to Use Italics

$

0

0

As a writer, you may dream of a day where you can sit down at your desk and simply write, with no distractions. Instead, you have to deal with phone calls and emails, and people coming over to talk to you. You have the whole of the internet at your fingertips to distract you, as well as the sounds of the outside world. You can even be distracted by your own thoughts.

But what if we are thinking of these distractions in the wrong way? Could they be something that actually improves your productivity?

Let’s take a look at the ways in which this could be true.

Want to be a beta tester for ProWritingAid’s new online editor?

October 13, 2016, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Where We Write…Rough Draft

≪ Previous: Can Distractions Actually Boost a Writer's Productivity?

$

0

0

We have been working away on this new tool for months now and we are excited to share it with you.

Please put it through the wringer. We want to know every glitch you encounter, every link that doesn’t work, every error message you receive.